Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-03-12

Dog we pulled across the big divide which forms
the crest OF the Observation-Disclosures watershed.
ifteen miles or more we were on the great ridge.
an endless succession OF bleak, windswept hills
and hollows rolling away on every side mile after
mile, until the eyes got tired OF looking over them.
They looked as IL they had been shaved and sand
papered all over, they were SO smooth and 30 ut
falo grass. bunch grass here and there and few
via ana wary antelope. Not even friendly sage
bush amor amosded t the weary eye resting place
death In II he hunted Montana all over
The fourth day out we crossed the Little Dry, to
which ne had longingly looked forward for water.
We found In 1t what by courtesy was called water,
but II too thick to drink and too thin to walk
on II was mud Jelly. our COW horses swallowed
brutes, but it was different case with the gov
eminent mules. Old Joe unchecked them dipped
pailful Of the stun, and held it up to the near
leader. The thirsty mule thrust his head eagerly
into the pail, took one swallow only, then cooked
his ears and looked at Old Joe out OF the corner OF
ing 1sf" The stun Was offered s I' 70 so' each sn
OF the six mules, not one OF which took a second
swallow, and the OF wheeler came near biting a
piece out OF the teamSters cheek. When Old Joe
had gone the round he threw the water out OF the
pail with Disguised air, and said: "One bucket
Uncle SANS gOt!'
Between the Little Dry and Big Dry we saw
what has become OF the millions of buf1alo Hum
dreds OF carcaSeS lay scattered the prairie In
every direction. They lay thickly along both sides
or the road, and the bad lands were full OF them.
dlbcT pdSSiDS the hcu butteS. on the way I'D, we
were hardly ever out OF sight OF bleaching skele-
ton, and sometimes score were In sight at one
time. Once counted seventeen lying grouped to-
gether In space OF not over two acres in extent.
1t was mournful sight. Although these buffalo
were killed only four years ago or less the power
full effect OF the dry winds and intense heat OF
summer has literally stripped the flesh from the
bones, and left the whole skeletons lying Just as
they fell, bleached as white as snow on the upper
place. The SINNERS had left the heads OF the bulls
unskinned, and the thick hide had dried down
upon the skulls as hard as horn, holding the tan
gled masses OF the shaggy frOntlet firmly in
place until it bleached brown in the sunshine and
finally was worn away by wind and weather
little later picked up eight just such skeletons
three pounds OF dried meat remaining on any one
OF them. The bleaching power OF Montana weather
AS We travelled back to Miles City in December
we gathered up nfty-one perfect skulls OF old bull
and cow buffalo to store up for the museums OF
the world that will beg for them little later when
the buffalo are all dead and the bone gatherers
have gathered In and crushed the last bone to be
found on the buffalo ranges. And l tell you it
afforded me solid comfort to have 1t in my power
To lay in such gOodly store before it too late
For forty miles north OF Miles City the buffalo
bones have already been gathered up clean!
On the fifth day we reached the Nv ranch
(Tow'S on the Big Dry, ninety miles from Miles
from the southwest. This is the most charmingly
situated ranch-houSe saw anywhere In Montana
There Is line OF cottonwood timber along the
Big Dry, and wish you could have seen it then.
Every leaf was as yellow as gold and alive with
excitement. How merrily they danced and shOne
and rustled In the breezy sunshine, and after the
pretty they did look Had been alone 1 could
have Rugged some OF those gnurly old cOthwOOds
and enjoyed IL. When seen from little distance,
it lay between the two hard, barren ridges
which hemmed 1t in, the narrow valley OF the
Big Dry was fairly gorified by the golden yellow
line of tree tops, which beautifully marked its
course. wanted TO camp in that timber, just for
night, to hear the leaves rustic, but Ii hot
to be done. Time was precious. We unloaded our
Government hack loaded
dry Skeletons left half OF freight stored at the
ranch, and taking all We could haul on our own
gan in earnest. Our task was to find twenty head
OF buffalo in tract OF bad lands OF about 900
square miles in area While Brown drove
the cowboys and I paired off, and hunted the
country both sides for several miles back closely
and &c, carefully; There were plenty OF antelope,
The country was rough to start with, all bad
lands in fact, but the higher we got the rougher
trail for the wagon, no made road anywhere, but
the team was an uncommonly goOi one, and on we
went, slowly enough, TO be sure, camping wherever
night overlook
Thirty miles up, near the Piney Buttes, we
found good spring, and camped for about ten
days while we gave the country to the north and
south a thorough Overhaullng We rode from
early morning until sunset, but not very fast over
such terrible ground for that would have worn all
our horses out In n weeks time. The weather was
glorious. We killed as many antelope We cared
TO- and we enjoyed the life hugely,-but we found
no signs OF DuUaIO.
Hoping for better luck, we packed our traps
presently and pulled on up, past the head OF Sand
creek, across steep and very high divide, and
finally camped at about the worst water hole
ever saw, on the head OF Calf creek, a tributary
or the missouri river. WeWere just above the head
OF Porcupne creek due west OF the head Little
Dry, 13o miles from Miles City by the way we
came, about 40 miles south OF the Missouri and %
east OF The SuSSeohell. Up there the country was
not so rough, save on one side OF the east and
we felt that our position was the key to an I'M
menSe tract OF '-likely' country for buffalo.
was being hauled up from our late camp on Sand
creek, we struck our first bunch Of buffalo, al
though 1t was not a knOck-dOwn blow. One OF our
cowboys, L. S. Russell, was plotting the wagon
across the divide, mounted on the weariest buffalo
horse in the Outfit, which regret TO say was one
OF mine. When within three miles OF new
camp he came suddenly upon seven buffalo lying
down In the head OF a ravine He fired upon them
two or three times, but none fell, and when they
dashed away he chased them for about three
miles and got two or three more shots. The old
bull OF the party was wounded, but RuSsells horse
gave Out-he was tired out TO start with-and TO
our great chagrin all the buffalo got away. 1t
was bitter disappointment TO Inc, and the fall
ure TO bag even one buffalo Stung Russell like a
campmeeting hornet.
The herd ran due south, and Russell did not give
up the chase until he had satisfied himself that
he could take up the trail in the morning some
miles farther on. That night We four hunters
were up until late hour. We pcketed our
best horses and fed them well, cleaned
and oiled our Winchesters most carefully,
ened our skinning knives, cleaned our neid
glasses, and got everything in working order. We
were to take the trail OF those buffalo, five miles
away, at daylight; so told the boys would call
all hands at four O'Clock. And we went to our
blankets, wondering what the morrow had In